November 2001

RAINFALL

“Another very good rainfall month,” said GWS Director Lindsay Smail, after November’s well above average rains across the region. Geelong’s urban area received between 47 mm (at Lara) and 80 mm (at Waurn Ponds) – the average is 50 mm – and both Barwon and Moorabool catchments, especially the former, exceeded their long-term means by large margins.

There were 15 rain days in Geelong and one thunder day, but on other days hail fell at Grovedale on the 11th and a tornado did damage in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs over Port Phillip Bay on the 13th. In two remarkable downpours, Leopold received 15 mm in 10 minutes on the 11th, and Waurn Ponds registered 10 mm in 8 minutes in a thunderstorm on the 24th.

TEMPERATURES

November was the coolest since 1960; thicker cloud cover was largely responsible for that. The average maximum was 18.6 degrees, compared to the long-term mean of 21.2, and the average minimum was 9.0 compared to 10.2. This means that temperatures were about two degrees cooler than the 30-year average for the month. In 1960 our November figures were 18.2 and 8.6 respectively.

THE OUTLOOK

The water supply situation is the best it has been for many years. The West Barwon and Wurdi Boluc reservoirs are both 100% of capacity – brimming full as at the 27th – and any further heavy rains in the catchments could lead to an almost unprecedented event – a Geelong flood in December.

RAINFALL DATA